Kepler-22b: The new Earth?

I wonder if the aliens we are searching for are going to come and give us the technology to go to a planet this far away.
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Dr. Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute announced that Kepler 22b and other promising planets discovered by the Kepler Project will soon be monitored for intelligent radio signals at the newly reopened Allen Telescope Array. IF this planet is inhabited, and *if* its inhabitants had the ability and inclination to send a strong radio beam our way 600 years ago, we may not have to wait too long for confirmation of life on the planet.

Actually 600 light years is in close. We might be able to hear spurious radiation from radio/tv or radar at this distance if it exists. What else do we know about this planet. What does a spectrometer show for atmosphere.

The composition of the planet and its atmosphere are not known. Knowing its size, its density and so its composition can be inferred, once its mass is learned. Kepler can't provide that information, but ground-based telescopes can. They will look for tiny wobbles in the star, caused by the gravity of the planet. Such observations are contemplated for the middle of 2012. It's my impression that spectroscopic work on the atmosphere of a planet 600 light years distant may still be beyond our current capabilities. If someone knows something to the contrary, I'd be interested to hear it. If the planet proves to be of the terrestrial sort, with a solid surface, rather than a smaller version of Neptune, it's not unreasonable to think that it might have an atmosphere similar to Earth's.

the planet is estimated to have a 290 day year so hopefully we can learn more as time goes on
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the planet is estimated to have a 290 day year so hopefully we can learn more as time goes on

or would it require something more imaginative?

Perhaps we should call it what the inhabitants do .... if there are any of course. Otherwise any arbitrary name we may give it is merely incongruous.

I'd be much more excited if they had located planets around a star say 5 to 10 LY away. At 600 LY it's like holding a lolly pop just outside the reach of a baby.
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Bob DeWoody

Kepler-22b: At 2.4 times Earth's radius, and if of similar composition, wouldn't that put it's surface gravity at about 7 or 8 G?
Probably a much flatter orb... difficult for things to grow up. And therefore probably never had birds evolve.
If birds didn't exist, who would have been interested in flight, much less than space travel.
No, I don't think we will be hearing from them for the next billion years.
Clint

1.6G I thought.

The general idea seems to be that the original signal should persist long enough to be independently verified, and contain enough information to establish that it came from an extraterrestrial civilization. A simple 'one shot' signal, such as they sent into space from Arecibo years ago, is less than adequate. An exception to this could a beamed signal that sweeps by fairly rapidly, but contains enough information to direct us to another frequency where a continuous, omnidirectional signal could be found. We might have to 'sharpen our ears' to get this message, by building larger antennas.

Let me see it would take 73000 years to nearest star which is about 4.5 ly away. This star is over 300 lightyears away. A mear six and half million years one way. A fuel tank as big as the earth is needed and lots of patient crew members. Just think if the atmosphere isnt fit for habitation. Maybe too high a concentration of oxygen just as toxic as any other gas in hevey concentration.

Let me see it would take 73000 years to nearest star which is about 4.5 ly away. This star is over 300 lightyears away. A mear six and half million years one way. A fuel tank as big as the earth is needed and lots of patient crew members. Just think if the atmosphere isnt fit for habitation. Maybe too high a concentration of oxygen just as toxic as any other gas in hevey concentration.

If, with current technology a ship could be built to achieve an average speed of 100,000 mph I calculate it would take 30,132 years to go 4.5 ly.

No matter what realistic speed factor you choose we aren't leaving this solar system until or unless a way is found to bypass the speed of light by a significant amount. No one can say with certainty whether it is possible or not. On the one hand we may never find a way and on the other someone may make the discovery tomorrow.

I think that if a means exists someone will find a way because the desire to go somewhere that is currently out of reach is one of man's greatest motivators.
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Bob DeWoody